Chapter 67: The Old Prince Next Door 20

After Prince Chen finished giving instructions to Gui Xi, he rushed toward the Main Courtyard.

Watching that sprinting figure, Gui Xi’s eyes welled with tears. His Prince really was better now.

This Princess Consort was truly Gui Xi’s living ancestor¹; her destiny was simply too beneficial for his Prince.

When Su Huandan woke up, she was greeted by the sight of a grinning, foolish-looking Prince.

Prince Chen’s face was usually indifferent and cold, occasionally tinged with mockery. Su Huandan had truly never seen him with such a silly smile.

To be honest, this expression was so ugly it actually offended Su Huandan’s sensibilities. She loved looking at handsome men who were flawless from every angle. Whether in public or in private life, she felt a man needed to maintain a proper and handsome side. Only such a person, she felt, could be looked at for a lifetime without getting bored.

Men needed to be refined too; only then were they pleasing to the eye.

Prince Chen’s current expression, combined with eyes that were red and swollen as if he had just had a good cry, was a bit much.

Su Huandan thought to herself: In this life, maybe I should just live ten years and then return to the Underworld. This man is so hard on the eyes, I’m starting to not want him anymore!

How could Prince Chen know what Su Huandan was thinking? Seeing her wake up, he nimbly sat by the bed and reached out to grasp her hand.

“Princess Consort, you’ve worked hard. Gui Xi will handle the household affairs from now on. Don’t keep yourself busy. If you hadn’t been so exhausted, you wouldn’t have fainted.” Su Huandan was confused by Prince Chen’s words.

What was he even talking about?

Managing the household for her was just a matter of moving her lips. She liked walking around to inspect things mainly for the exercise; a person couldn’t just lie around all the time, as it wasn’t healthy.

How did she “collapse from exhaustion”?

Could she possibly be unclear about the state of her own body?

She turned a surprised and questioning gaze toward Gui Xi, whose eyes were also red and swollen.

Gui Xi was much more reliable than Prince Chen.

“Princess Consort, you are with child. Imperial Physician Wang said that the reason you slept so long during your nap was because you’ve been tired lately, which is why you couldn’t wake up. That is why the Prince said you shouldn’t manage the household anymore. You must rest well; giving birth to the Heir is the most important matter.” After Gui Xi finished speaking, Su Huandan covered her stomach. Pregnant?

That was quite fast!

She then took Prince Chen’s hand and sat up. “Is dinner ready? Whatever you want to say, say it after we eat. I’m hungry.”

Prince Chen stood up quickly. This time, without him needing to speak, Gui Xi ran off.

Soon, a table full of food arrived.

It was all the food Su Huandan loved.

The entire Prince Chen Estate knew the Princess Consort was pregnant. The servants were actually just as happy as Prince Chen. Now that the Prince would have an heir, they no longer had to worry about having nowhere to go after the Prince passed away.

Su Huandan’s pregnancy was indeed a major joyous event for the entire household.

The imperial chefs in the kitchen truly showed off all their skills.

Su Huandan ate quite happily. Prince Chen, however, didn’t eat much, constantly serving food to her plate. After being married for this long, he, as her husband, knew exactly what she liked.

For chicken, she only liked the wings. For pork, she only liked the head meat and pig’s trotters. She wasn’t picky about seafood; she would eat whatever the kitchen prepared and served. She enjoyed beef and mutton but didn’t eat duck or goose, saying they had a scent she didn’t like.

After the meal, Prince Chen pointed to the half-room full of rewards.

“These are from the Empress Dowager; she was so happy. These are from the Emperor and the Empress. Other Consort Dowagers and imperial concubines sent some as well, and it all adds up to this much. As for the things sent by the Grand Princess and the Eldest Princess, I sent them all back. Those two are jinxes; we don’t want their things. It’s not like we don’t have our own.” In the whole world, only Prince Chen would be so picky about receiving gifts.

“What did Imperial Physician Wang say? How many months?” Su Huandan really hadn’t noticed this pregnancy. It had only been three or four days since her period ended, and the flow had been quite heavy. Why did this pregnancy feel so fake?

“Imperial Physician Wang said it’s been less than two months. Moreover, you have the kind of constitution where you still have your period even while pregnant, which is why you didn’t notice. Even Nanny Bai, who is experienced, couldn’t detect it in time. I say, from now on, you should have your pulse checked regularly just like me. Look at how dangerous this situation was.” If Imperial Physician Wang heard this, he would have a hundred rebuttals.

Dangerous?

The Princess Consort’s health was excellent.

This time, it was Prince Chen who had forced him to explain why she wouldn’t wake up, so the physician had made up the excuse that she was “too tired.”

She indeed hadn’t woken up, but unfortunately, it wasn’t from exhaustion. It was simply a pulse that indicated the body purely wanted to sleep and didn’t want to wake up.

But Prince Chen wouldn’t believe that.

Fine then. If you want to hear that your Princess Consort is too tired to wake up, this old man will satisfy you. Is that acceptable?

It was very acceptable!

“That widow is actually quite fertile. With Prince Chen’s health, he can actually father a child?” The Duke of Yi appeared again. Nowadays in court, he was no longer highly regarded by the Emperor, even though he held military power.

He was different from his father. His father was a Duke who had actually been on the battlefield, guarding the Northwest for ten years. The generals in the Northwest recognized his father, and they also recognized his early-deceased legitimate younger brother, but they did not recognize him.

This was because when he was twenty, his old father had taken him to the Northwest, wanting him to gain some military merit so he could take over the power later. Unfortunately, he was too terrified. When the two armies engaged, he was so scared that he fell off his horse and broke his leg.

The looks the generals in the Northwest gave him were filled with utter disappointment. The memory was etched deeply in his mind.

The Duchess of Yi said nothing. He could say whatever he wanted. In any case, the excitement belonged to the Prince Chen Estate and had nothing to do with their own family.

“I say, hasn’t your youngest brother’s marriage been settled yet? What do you think about him marrying the Second Princess’s daughter?” The Duke of Yi was unwilling to remain a marginal figure in the imperial court.

He was still entertaining the idea of getting closer to the royal family.

The Duchess of Yi glanced at her useless and brainless husband, speaking with a weary heart, “The imperial family dislikes the Second Princess and her daughter. Don’t you know this?”

The Duke of Yi was speechless.

Although there were rumors outside, how many of those rumors could be true?

The Duchess of Yi sneered. Look at him. This man was just like this; he didn’t even know how to distinguish whether the rumors outside were true or false. How was such a man fit to be a Duke?

For the New Year festival, Prince Chen had originally intended to take Su Huandan into the palace to celebrate. However, now that Su Huandan was pregnant, he didn’t want to go anywhere. This child of his had come with such difficulty; whether it was a girl or a boy, they would be incredibly precious. Therefore, until the child was born, he intended to stay by the Princess Consort’s side and not leave, living their days behind closed doors.

Once the New Year festivities concluded, the Duke of Yi Household across the street began holding funeral rites.

Prince Chen was speechless.

It was so damn unlucky. Could the man not have waited until the Princess Consort gave birth before dying?

The Duke of Yi and the Prince Chen Estate were simply fundamentally incompatible!

Gui Xi nodded in agreement with his master’s assessment.

Su Huandan was at a loss for words.

To be fair, one could somewhat control when a person was born, as inducing an early labor was possible. But could a person really calculate the exact timing of their own death?

“You don’t know the half of it. The Duke of Yi was poisoned to death by his wife. That idiot deserved to die,” Prince Chen said, immediately diving into the gossip with Su Huandan.

Translator’s Notes